NHS identity checks: which documents you need

NHS employers need either two photo documents and one proof of address, or one photo document and two proofs of address. The identity check comes first, because every other check depends on it.

The accepted combinations

The NHS Employers identity checks standard sets out two options. You provide one of these:

• two forms of photo identification (List 1) and one document confirming your current address (List 2)
• one form of photo identification (List 1) and two documents confirming your current address (List 2)

Photo identification covers a full UK or other passport, a UK photocard driving licence, an armed forces identity card, a PASS-accredited identity card or an eVisa that shows your name, date of birth and photograph. A UK passport can be accepted up to six months after it expires. Expired biometric residence permits can be accepted as photo identification for up to 24 months beyond their expiry date where you have valid immigration status.

Address documents include a utility bill, a council tax statement, a bank or building society statement, a mortgage statement, an HMRC tax notification or a tenancy agreement. Most should be dated within the last six months, though some, such as council tax or HMRC letters, can be up to 12 months old. The standard says the same document should not confirm both your name and your address.

If you have no photo identification

The standard has a fallback. You provide two documents confirming your address, two non-photographic proofs of identity from List 3 (for example a full birth certificate, a P45 or P60, or a marriage certificate) and a passport-sized photograph. Someone of some standing in your community who has known you personally for at least two years must countersign the photo and give a statement saying how they know you.

For people furthest from the jobs market, including refugees, homeless people and 16 to 19 year olds, the standard says employers may accept other documents at local discretion. If this applies to you, say so to the recruiter early.

Remote checks and your first day

Many offers are made before you ever visit the site. The standard allows a four-step remote check:

1. You send a scan or photo of your original documents.
2. You hold the originals up on a video call so they can be compared with the copies.
3. The employer records that a remote check took place, and the date.
4. The employer sees and copies your originals as soon as practical, for example on your first day or at induction.

Employers must also ask you to show photo identification on your first day so it can be matched against what they saw earlier. Bring it even if you have already done the video call. The same rules apply to volunteers, students, temporary workers and contractors before they start work, and agencies must assure the employer that their workers have been checked to the same standard.

Different names on different documents

Names often vary for ordinary reasons: marriage, divorce, religion or simply using a middle name. The standard lists the evidence that supports a change of name: a marriage or civil partnership certificate, a decree absolute or dissolution certificate, a deed poll certificate, a gender recognition certificate and a statutory declaration. If you cannot supply enough proof, the employer carries out a risk assessment, and the standard suggests involving senior HR and security staff so that any decision not to appoint is reasonable and fair. A short name such as “Sam” on a bank card when your passport says “Samantha” is a normal variation.

Documents that cause problems

Documents downloaded from the internet give the lowest level of assurance, as the standard puts it, because they are easy to obtain and forge. They should not be accepted on their own. If you do not have a paper bill, the employer may ask your bank to stamp a printout, or ask you to log in to your online account in their presence.

Identity and right to work are separate

If you rely on an eVisa, the identity check and the right to work check each use a share code. For identity, the standard says you select the option to prove your immigration status for anything else. For right to work, you generate a different share code so the employer gets the information it needs for a statutory excuse. Right to work checks explains the second one.

What to check

• Your photo ID is in date, or within the allowances above, and the name matches your application.
• Your address documents are recent and in your own name.
• You can show something with your photo on day one.
• Any name change is backed by a certificate.
• You know which checks remain on your conditional offer.